Generali Asset Management SPA SGR Acquires New Stake in Wells Fargo & Company $WFC

Key Points

• Generali Asset Management opened a new stake in Wells Fargo, buying 69,299 shares valued at about $6.46 million in the fourth quarter.
• Wells Fargo shares were down 4.5% to $75.57, below both its 50-day and 200-day moving averages, even as the stock trades at a relatively modest 11.66 P/E.
• The bank beat earnings expectations with $1.60 EPS for the quarter and also declared a quarterly dividend of $0.45 per share, equal to a 2.4% annualized yield.

Generali Asset Management SPA SGR bought a new position in Wells Fargo & Company (NYSE:WFC) in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor bought 69,299 shares of the financial services provider's stock, valued at approximately $6,459,000.

A number of other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in WFC. FSB Premier Wealth Management Inc. raised its stake in shares of Wells Fargo & Company by 6.1% in the 4th quarter. FSB Premier Wealth Management Inc. now owns 42,939 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $4,002,000 after purchasing an additional 2,482 shares during the period. MGO One Seven LLC boosted its position in shares of Wells Fargo & Company by 110.5% during the fourth quarter. MGO One Seven LLC now owns 96,300 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $8,975,000 after buying an additional 50,561 shares during the period. Bluebird Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Wells Fargo & Company during the fourth quarter worth about $2,561,000. Retirement Planning Group LLC grew its holdings in shares of Wells Fargo & Company by 22.7% during the fourth quarter. Retirement Planning Group LLC now owns 3,285 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $306,000 after buying an additional 608 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC raised its position in Wells Fargo & Company by 3.6% in the 4th quarter. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC now owns 299,002 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $27,867,000 after buying an additional 10,488 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 75.90% of the company's stock.

Wells Fargo & Company Stock Down 4.5%

WFC stock opened at $75.57 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.90, a current ratio of 0.90 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.12. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $80.47 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $86.11. The company has a market cap of $231.26 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.66, a P/E/G ratio of 0.93 and a beta of 0.96. Wells Fargo & Company has a twelve month low of $71.89 and a twelve month high of $97.76.

Wells Fargo & Company (NYSE:WFC - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 14th. The financial services provider reported $1.60 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.58 by $0.02. The company had revenue of $11.62 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $21.85 billion. Wells Fargo & Company had a return on equity of 13.27% and a net margin of 17.26%.The business's revenue was up 6.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $1.39 EPS. Analysts anticipate that Wells Fargo & Company will post 6.82 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Wells Fargo & Company Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 1st. Investors of record on Friday, May 8th will be issued a dividend of $0.45 per share. This represents a $1.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.4%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 8th. Wells Fargo & Company's payout ratio is presently 27.78%.

Wells Fargo & Company News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting Wells Fargo & Company this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Phillip Securities upgraded Wells Fargo & Company (WFC) from “moderate buy” to “strong-buy,” reinforcing the view that the bank’s turnaround and earnings strength still have room to run.
• Positive Sentiment: Market commentary noted that Wells Fargo’s comeback looks real, supported by accelerating loan growth, rising shareholder returns, and stronger customer activity, which could help sustain investor confidence. Wells Fargo’s Comeback Is Real—But Not Risk-Free
• Positive Sentiment: Additional article coverage framed WFC as a potentially attractive dividend stock, which may appeal to income-focused investors looking for a large-cap financial name with improving fundamentals. Wells Fargo (WFC) Could Be a Great Choice
• Neutral Sentiment: There was also heavy put option activity in Wells Fargo, with traders buying 82,048 puts versus a typical volume of 59,215, suggesting some hedging or bearish positioning despite the recent positive coverage.
• Neutral Sentiment: Separately, Wells Fargo has been active on the research side across other stocks, including a downgrade of Nike and higher price targets on Arm Holdings, but those calls are not direct catalysts for WFC shares.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts have commented on WFC shares. Jefferies Financial Group assumed coverage on Wells Fargo & Company in a research note on Thursday, March 26th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $100.00 target price on the stock. CICC Research assumed coverage on shares of Wells Fargo & Company in a report on Wednesday, January 14th. They issued a "market perform" rating and a $96.00 price objective on the stock. Piper Sandler reissued an "overweight" rating and issued a $94.00 price objective (down from $100.00) on shares of Wells Fargo & Company in a research report on Wednesday, April 15th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their target price on shares of Wells Fargo & Company from $91.00 to $86.50 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, April 30th. Finally, Truist Financial decreased their target price on shares of Wells Fargo & Company from $98.00 to $94.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, March 17th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fourteen have given a Buy rating and ten have assigned a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $97.53.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Wells Fargo & Company news, EVP Ellen R. Patterson sold 60,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $87.40, for a total value of $5,244,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 169,496 shares in the company, valued at $14,813,950.40. This trade represents a 26.14% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, EVP Kleber Santos sold 25,000 shares of Wells Fargo & Company stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $87.72, for a total transaction of $2,193,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 79,876 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $7,006,722.72. This trade represents a 23.84% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 115,000 shares of company stock valued at $10,050,000. 0.14% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Wells Fargo & Company Profile

Wells Fargo & Company is a diversified, U.S.-based financial services company headquartered in San Francisco, California. Founded in 1852 by Henry Wells and William G. Fargo, the firm has evolved from its origins in express delivery and pioneer-era banking into one of the largest full-service banks in the United States. The company provides a broad range of financial products and services to individual, small business, commercial, and institutional clients. Charles W. Scharf serves as chief executive officer.

Wells Fargo operates across several core business segments, including consumer banking and lending, commercial banking, corporate and investment banking, and wealth and investment management.

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